Here are five top best secret bolt-holes in South India.

These have not been rated in any particular order but have been chosen for variety. The one thing that all of them have in common is the absence of crowds and the presence of nature in her gentler forms. So real travellers can chill and take life at their own pace. Enjoy.

Devbagh - The Inspiration for Tagore's First Play

Devbagh is an island south of the Goa border, off Karwar, in Karnataka, India. SCUBA diving and snorkelling is very rewarding and the lucky few will get to see some of the rarer denizens of the deep up close. Dolphins and sea otters frolic peacefully on the suface. Several other islands can be explored by boat. Or if one is the more landlubberly type a trek in the forest might be just what the doctor ordered.